


Bathing

by VL_Heim



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Memories, Nudity, Romantic Fluff, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 18:56:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20232739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VL_Heim/pseuds/VL_Heim
Summary: It's been a while; I've been working on an actual manuscript and fanfiction has become a thing of the past. My apologies, but here's some fluff that I did as a writing exercise this morning. Enjoy!





	Bathing

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while; I've been working on an actual manuscript and fanfiction has become a thing of the past. My apologies, but here's some fluff that I did as a writing exercise this morning. Enjoy!

Through the steam of the bathhouse, Vivienne’s aristocratic voice asks of Solas. 

In a flash, we’re no longer in Val Royeaux, the bathwater turns chilly and somewhere in the distance, I hear the sound of a rushing waterfall feeding the serpentine river splashing at my thighs. The night is cool but the sweat and dirt caked beneath our armour demands we wash, another two days of travel through the Graves yet awaits. 

In the distance I hear the men; Varric’s booming voice singing some brash tavern song with Blackwall humming along. Besides the smell of sweat that clings to my bare skin as I wade further into the river, the forest smells of moist earth and new life. I inhale deeply and plunge myself underwater in a neat glide along my belly on the exhale. 

Rising out of the water, I see a flash of white on the other bank. At first, it looks like a hound - no, too small - a wolf, but as I wipe water from my eyes the beast moves, straightening onto its hind legs until it stands, like a man.

His back is to me, but I’d recognize the gentle curve of his spine anywhere; narrow shoulders perfectly match the high hip bones and even at this distance I can see the wiry muscles through his arms and back. Even in my memories, the feeling of those muscles beneath my fingertips first in the Fade, then back at Skyhold, makes me shift in my seat. 

He twists around, waist deep in the water, and I notice the jaw bone collar still hanging from his neck, even while bathing. His familiar green eyes find me instantly, like a predator hunting their prey. 

I don’t even notice him moving closer until he stands an arms distance away in the shallow water. Rising out of the water I step forward, willfully falling into the trap laid at my feet. My fingers brush his bare chest and at that moment, his hand pulls me closer by my elbow. 

“_Ma Vhenan_,” he whispers in my ear. The shiver that runs down my spine echoes through the rustling trees.

Suddenly, I am very aware of our nakedness. Blood colours my cheeks, ears, and throat. I plug myself into the water until my loose hair floats along the top of the river. Beneath the river’s surface, I wrap my arms around my breasts and torso, turning my burning face from Solas.

“I’m sorry,” I say, “We’re indecent.”

The laugh that bubbles up through his belly startles me as he tosses his head back and howls. 

He sinks below the waters too, kneeling until our noses are level, then in a flash of limbs he has his arms wrapped around my waist. Our naked bodies are pressed firmly together as my heart tries to escape through my ribcage. 

“Look around Inquisitor,” he says, spinning me through the water. I tilt my head back an stare at the canopy of trees above us. “The beasts and birds are magnificent in their beauty and you do not see them attempting to cover their bodies with clothing. Why would you? When you are more magnificent and beautiful than any other found in this forest.”

We stand, still tucked in close together, as he presses his forehead to mine. 

“_Ar lath ma,_” he says

The kiss that followed and my response cut through me like a sharp knife gutting a fish. I can still feel the taste of his lips and the pull of what we had. 

“I love you, too Solas.”

I don’t tell Vivienne that it is as true now as it was then. 


End file.
